The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1887-06-17
BESET BY CROCODILES,

In making our surveys we were
often and greatly annoyed ana lm'
NEEDED by the aIlisators, with
which the rivers named are alive
from source to mouth. In what are
known on the survey maps as the
third aud fOurths mouths OF tue
Ganges, these reptiles several times
attacked our boats i'll broad day
light. and We lived IN constant
dread of them. These mouths, ue'
ing to the east of Calcutta, descend
to the sea through hundreds OF
miles of fiat land, which is mostly
swamp, aud the situation IS favor
able one for reptile life.
One rainy afternoon, while the
survey party were Kept aboard the
steamer. one of our natives put OF
in his canoe to fish, He cast an-
chor not 800 yards from us, aud had
been fishing ouly about ten minutes
when we noticed an alligator rise
to the surface behind him. Two or
three natives called out to him, nut
he either did not hear or did not
care. The reptile sank out OF sight,
aud was gone for about fifteen sec
onds, aud then rose mp, reared out
of the water with head and fore
feet in the canoe, and the next in
slant it was upset. The native ut
tered diretul wall as he realized
his fate, and there was such a rusl
OF alligatOrs to the spot that ne
could hardly have made a mOuthtu
apiece for them.
On another occasion, not more
than two weeks later, we were uslns
n native in the same cauOe to MARI
/ the chauncl. There were six OF "a
in one of the large boats, while III
was alone in the canoe. DE ha'
run off with $50 teet of line, aud wa
holding the canoe to the swamp.
hank With one hand aud the lin
with the other, when saurlan
whose presence was not in the leas
susuecled, rose under the canoe
unset it in wink, aud the man wa
seized before he bad uttered Il singl
cry. He must have had the surVe
line wound around bis hand, for
at once began to run of The rec
and i'm this way we followed th
crocodile IntO IA lagoon, but coul
get at bin to secure revenge
have spokeu of these reptiles a
croeodiles and alligatOrs. 1t is
distinction without difference
There NAV be crOcodiles which dl
: fer from alligatOrs, but the ciOc'
diles of India aud the alligators
America are asmuch alike as tw
peas.
: In was six or seven weeks aft'
the last srizure that party SIX
. us-two whites aud four blacks
started of in one of the boats to i
. yestigate or explore a lagoon. Th
!. lagoon seemed to he at the mOul
4; of a river or another branch OF Il
/; Gauges, but after following 1t abol
nine miles through n FIAT, marst
!. country we discovered it's true u
ture. Our steamer lay about mi
below this lagoon, aud on the sau
side of the river, aud at that til
her fires had been drawn to ovt
haul her boiler. We lett the steal
er shortly after noon, aud it "
l. almost sundOwu when We cat
d hack down the lagoon to q sui
island at its mouth. AS we We
d approaching this island my comra
?, r. caught sight offs very large bird
the reeds aud grass, and Knocked
over with charge from bis shotg'
ID We should not have stopped but
~ GET the bird. Il was prize, inde'
. being a specimen entirely nev
ts Az Of us, although Que Of the naiiN
said be had beard Of such 3 spec
u birds living far mp the river.
m vas as large AS q turkey, aud 4 z
a. sume il bled q great deal We B
ID ,sosrcsly showed away from the
10 and before slligatOrs bsgau to :